CPR (BLS) — Basic Life Support
For Health Care Professionals

The Basic Life Support (BLS) course trains students in health professions to quickly recognize the signs of cardiac arrest and asphyxiation, and apply the steps of the chain of survival to provide basic life support and save lives. It teaches how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) properly, administer adequate compressions and ventilations, and use the automated external defibrillator (AED) early.

The course teaches the concepts of high-quality CPR, proper ventilation management, chest compression fraction improvement, early use of an AED, and team dynamics. It is aimed at healthcare professionals or students who directly administer or are involved in the management of cardiorespiratory arrest or other basic cardiovascular life support skills.

Key topics include: complete sequence of CPR in adults and children by one and two rescuers, bag-valve-mask (BVM) ventilation, automatic external defibrillation, infant CPR concepts, and choking management in adults, children, and infants. At the end, practical and written evaluations are carried out, and certification from the American Heart Association is granted with a validity of 2 years.

The knowledge provided by the BLS course is also required for other advanced courses such as the ACLS and the PALS.